Suspected militants have killed at least five people, including a former warlord, in Afghanistan’s northern province of Baghlan, local Afghan authorities say.

According to Jawed Basharat, the spokesman for the provincial police chief, the Wednesday ambush targeted Samar, known by a single name, who served as a commander during the 1980s struggle against the Soviet Union.

The spokesman said the four other people killed were members of Samar's family who were traveling with him in a vehicle. Two of his children were wounded, he added.

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the latest deadly assault, but such incidents are mostly blamed on Taliban, who frequently target civilians, government officials and security forces in the country.

Many of the rivalries of that era live on as the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 was followed by years of civil war across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has been gripped by insecurity since the US and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001. Many parts of the country still remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.

Taliban have regrouped since the death of former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, earlier in the year and are reported to be currently in control of some areas in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says it recorded 1,601 civilian deaths and 3,565 injuries in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2016.